Kinda goes with the favourtite band and song thing.
1.Arthur Lee and LOVE(after he did a few years in San Quentin)
at the Warsaw in Brooklyn
2. Pixies 1989 City Gardens in Trenton
3. Jorma in New Hope ± '89
4. Butthole Surfers - lots of times '87 - '94, and all the shows rocked.
5. Johnny Cash 1992 Valley Forge PA -rest in Peace Johnny
6. Camper Van Beethoven - the reunion show at Knitting factory 7/2002
7. Meat Puppets - 1989 -1994, Khyber in Philly, always rocked
I almost included the pogues on my list, they are one of my favorite bands, I could see them having a bad show or 5 though, They were great the couple times I saw them in philly in the late 80’s…
And the Cramps? also a staple for me whenever they come to town. Either love em or hate em, plus NO BEER = NO FUN
Patti Smith '77 - Awesome, I have a bootleg record from '77 and its great.
Sorry I missed Zappa before his passing.
Peace out
PS-shouldnt I be working?, glad I found these forums
For us young’ns.
They Might be Giants (the first concert I went to, not the second one).
The Aquabats (although they had 4 or 5 opening bands and the water was 3 bucks a pop).
Ryan Schupe and the Rubber Band. I’d never listened to their music before I went to their concert, but it was free and we drove 4 hours to get there and 4 hours back. Turned out that they are one of the best live bands I’ve seen (which isn’t saying much, since I haven’t seen that many).
My first concert, not counting the classical concerts my parents dragged me to as a kid, was Emerson, Lake, and Palmers’ Brain Salad Surgery tour. 1975?
1998 - Dance Hall Crashers
2000 - Reel Big Fish
2002 - Goldfinger
(Can you tell I like SKA?)
2004 - Flogging Molly (Cause no one rocks as hard as the Irish)
Two things: I also saw Cirque this year, in Las Vegas in March. But I can’t remember which incarnation it was. Oh, it just came to me: Mystere (sp?) Was that the one you saw?
Second: according to your profile, you were what, 8 years old for
Frank Zappa? Frank was the absolute first concert I ever saw. I was 14; it was 1979. Way cool, and I am sort of embarrassed to admit, my first experience with getting totally high.
My concert contribution: the Pretenders, 1979, at Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC), when all the original band members were still alive.
There is actually some kind of error with the profiles birth date displays. A number of us are listed as being born 12/31/69. I was actually born 11/21/60 making me about 4 or 5 years your senior.
Interestingly though, my mother claims that she took me to see Janis Joplin at the Filmore East when I was 7 or 8. I vaguely remember going to a concert there once in the 60s (we lived a block away) but I really don’t believe it was Janis.
Mine was Robin Trower about this same time, but ELP on that tour was my second one, about a month later.
As far as the best one: Frank Zappa, hands down. He was scheduled to play at the Salt Palace, but day of show switched it to Symphony Hall in Salt Lake. All reserved seats became General Admission, which due to me hearing this on the radio early in the day turned my nosebleed lousy seats into 10th row center. The folks with the great seats that showed up late received some serious disappointment.
He came out on stage with a list in his hand. Said “Ladies and Gentlement tonight you’re going to hear …” and read off the entire list of songs. Tossed it over his shoulder, brought his hand back down which started the band, and went instant-segue from one to the next to the next for two hours without stopping until he had gone through the whole list, then stopped the band walked off and didn’t come back. The sound was blistering and crystal clear.
Oh yes, they always put on a great show, I’ve seen them in 1994 for the ‘John Henry’ tour '99 for the ‘Severe Tyre damage’ tour and in 2001 for the ‘mink car’ tour, they have a new album out soon ‘The Spine’ so I’m hoping they will do a UK tour soon.
The first concert that I ever went to was Aerosmith back somewhere around 1973 or 74. They performed at Stonehill college in the gymnasium. “Dream on” was their first hit off of their first album.
Peter Frampton mid 70’s
The Who mid 70’s
Phantom of the Opera
Big Apple Circus
Warped Tours '01 & '02. Mostly to see the Ataris and Planet Smashers
Reel Big Fish/Mest/Goldfinger in Portland, Maine about 2 years ago (right before RBF’s “Cheer Up” came out.
Barenaked Ladies, once on New Years Eve in Boston, and once at some college in Mass…
Which all leads me to the downright best shows ever: The Planet Smashers. Having been in many a mosh pit, I can say without hesitation that the most insane one’s tend to be at Smasher’s shows. Prolly the best Planet Smashers show I saw was at Cafe de Palais in Sherbrooke, with Samiam and The Peacocks… They’re just awesome.
Besides, I pay $7 cdn and can recognize the band when they’re on stage 'cause I’m only 6 feet away… As opposed to BNL being on the otherside of the auditorium and having to guess who was who
Ska is awesome. Ska is fun.
